Jesse Sandoval is a 35 year old husband, father of two girls, and provider for his family. He has worked for the City of Acworth Power Department for more than 15 years, and is extremely respected and cared for by his boss and coworkers.

In June of 2021 Jesse’s 9-year-old daughter, Nieva, was diagnosed with bone cancer in her left leg. Research on how to stop her cancer started right away, and by July she was admitted for an experimental surgery to replace her tibia. The only other child to undergo this surgery had cancer in the arm. The surgery was successful, and now Nieva must go through chemotherapy and regular procedures to “grow” her prosthetic bone.

In August Jesse’s wife, Diana, was due to have their second baby. After an emergency c-section, they brought a beautiful baby girl into the world. Nieva named her new baby sister Raya, after the Disney warrior princess. After Raya’s birth, and due to complications from a previous diagnosis with cancer, Diana started going into kidney failure. After being admitted to the hospital, Diana checked herself out and delayed treatment to be available for her daughters.

In the last several months, the family has been dealing with bouts of COVID-19. This has prevented Diana from following up on her kidney issues, delayed Nieva’s chemo treatments and growing procedures, sent Baby Raya to the hospital, and has stopped Jesse from being able to work.

Despite their trials, Sandovals are very much standing strong together. Jesse drives his family to their doctor appointments and works as much as he can to continue to earn a living. He is constantly making Diana and the girls laugh and makes sure to keep a tape measure handy in order to keep the appropriate 6-feet away from others. The courage and strength of this family is inspiring. H.O.G. is honored for the opportunity to serve them at the February 8th dinner.